After the war there a few weeks of funerals no one spoke much, lots of tears were shed.
When everyone went home, Harry stayed with the Weasleys. The house was as full as it had always been. But somehow it seemed empty. Time passed slowly, there were lots of staring into empty space. Gorge and Molly cried a lot. Ginny would cry too. She and Harry would sit together and just not be alone. Hermione did the same with Ron. Bill and Fleur were the ones running the home.
Time started to move again when they helped rebuild Hogwarts. Most every wizard who lived through the last battle were there. People joked and laughed some. There was still mourning but people seem lighter. Somehow being reminded others had lived, and seeing a place that had at one point been home to them all be whole again breathed life into there gaping mouths.
Harry was one of the exceptions. His mouth only felt dry, his chest hurt whenever he breathed. Getting up the energy to talk to any of the people around him felt like he was preparing to run a marathon. he only truly felt alive when he saw Teddy. The kid meant the world to harry. Somehow seeing a kid so innocent gave Harry a small shred of hope.
The seventh years and fifth years spent the summer re-studying and taking the tests. Most did great, they had used their knowledge for real. Harry again was an exception. He barely passed even DADA. McGonagall asked if he was okay he said he was, she knew better. She gave him a week smile which he returned and he left. Deciding he never wanted to step foot in that office again with its walls covered in the photos of dead me. Walking through the halls he saw flashes of him as a child and him as a broken adult. Most of the paintings had been restored and they all gave harry smiles proud to be in there spots again. The smell of the old stone walls made Harry feel il.
Everyone started moving forward when they were done at Hogwarts. Molly was running her house again. Ginny went to school, Harry and she mutually split much to everyone's surprise. Harry knew the world thought they were supposed to be together everyone said so. But Ginny didn't want to be tied down yet. Harry didn't have the energy to play good boyfriend. So the effort would be performative at best.
Harry spent most of his time sitting in his flat reading, not eating and watching tv. Which he had bought because he actually liked watching not just listening.
Time passed before he knew it he was giving a speech at an annual remembrance day for those who had lived through and Those who they had lost during the war and the battle of Hogwarts. Harry spoke with the convection setting up a facade to hide how tired he was. Sleep was not a thing he seemed to be able to get which worsen the flashbacks and when he did sleep nightmares. Harry was also in constant physical pain. He had all these points of stinging burning pain through his whole body.
Harry stayed inside for a month after that. Everything felt dead. Hogwarts was over, the war was over, his relationship was over
He knew he had to do something. Harry got a job as an Auror something he had planned on doing for years. He was fine with it. He goes home and drinks after every day. He sent his days hunting horrible humans, and the night fighting his own broken mind. The person who seemed to empathize best was George he had lost his other half. They would sit and drink together when Harry stayed his obligatory weekend at the Weasleys.
He worked hard for six months. He did everything he was told. He was promoted just two months in. Harry didn't mind chasing wizards practising dark magic but, Harry hated cases where children were involved. He would look at their scared little faces and his heart would hurt. The wizarding equivalent of foster care sucked. They mostly stayed in relatives house which made Harry's stomach turn there was no vetting group homes or were sent to the muggle system if one parent was a muggle. They could be adopted out of group homes. But it was a quick process, you only needed four character references, an interview and then bam you could sign the papers. Anyone could do that, There was no way to know how the people would actually care. Fuck they could at least use vitiserum.
Three years passed Harry waited in his office for something to do. He imagined how tonks and moody would be if they could see him too. Moody would yell constant vigilance, Tonks would bum into something.
Harry was called to an old house. He walked in with his partner. Two dead bodies of the couple who owned the house laid on the carpet wands laid next to the women, the other wizard wand was tucked under his hand next to his head. They were suspected blood purists so the lower level non-auror wizard cops had called the Aurors. Harry knew this wasn't a murder about anything political this was a murder-suicide.
Harry then whipped around when he heard banging coming from upstairs. He drew his wand and crept to the door of a bedroom. The door was locked and he could hear crying on the other side.